One may not expound the laws of forbidden sexual relations before three people, nor the account of Creation before two, nor the Divine Chariot before one, unless he is wise and understanding from his own knowledge. Anyone who looks into four things would be better off if he had not come into this world: what is above, what is below, what is before, and what is after. And anyone who has no consideration for the honor of his Maker would be better off if he had not come into the world.

Yose ben Yoezer says not to lean hands [on the Chagigah sacrifice]; Yose ben Yohanan says to lean hands. Yehoshua ben Perahia says not to lean hands; Nitai the Arbelite says to lean hands. Yehuda ben Tavai says not to lean hands; Shimon ben Shetach says to lean hands. Shemaya says to lean hands; Avtaliyon says not to lean hands. Hillel and Menahem did not disagree. Menahem left and Shammai entered. Shammai says not to lean hands; Hillel says to lean hands. The first [of each pair] was the nasi [head of the Sanhedrin] and the second [of each pair] was the av beit din [vice-head of the Sandhedrin].

Beit Shammai says, they bring peace offerings [on Yom Tov] and do not lay their hands on them, but they do not bring burnt offerings. And Beit Hillel says, they bring both peace offerings and burnt offerings and lay their hands on them.

When Shavuot occurs on Friday, Beit Shammai says that the day of slaughter [for its burnt offerings] is after Shabbat [i.e., on Sunday]. And Beit Hillel says, that the day after Shabbat is not the day for slaughter [rather it is Friday], but agrees that if Shavuot occurs on Shabbat, the next day [Sunday] is the day of slaughter. And the High Priest does not wear his vestments [on a day to which slaughter is postponed], and one may eulogize and fast, so as not to give credence to the words of those [the Sadduccees] that say Shavuot occurs the day after Shabbat.

One ritually washes one's hands for chullin [unsanctified food], ma'aser [tithed food] and for terumah [food tithed as the priest's gift]. For kodesh [portions of offerings eaten by the priests] one must immerse [in a mikveh]. And for chattat [water of purification] if one's hands are [ritually] impure, one's body is [ritually] impure.

One who immerses [in order to eat] chullin and considers himself pure to eat chullin, is forbidden to eat ma'aser. If he immerses [in order to eat] ma'aser and considers himself pure to eat ma'aser, he is forbidden to eat terumah. If he immerses [in order to eat] terumah, and considers himself pure to eat terumah, he is forbidden to eat kodesh. If he immerses [in order to eat] kodesh, and considers himself pure to eat kodesh, he is forbidden to touch the chattat water [made from the ashes of the Red Heifer]. If he immerses [to meet] stringent [requirements], he is permitted to [items carrying] the more lenient [requirements]. If one does not consider himself pure [after immersing], it is as if he did not immerse.

The clothes of an Am Ha'aretz [unlearned person] are midras [considered impure by treading] for perushin [individuals, generally Sages, highly concerned with maintaining ritual purity]. The clothes of perushin are midras for those who eat terumah. The clothes of those who eat terumah are midras for kodesh [and those who eat it]. The clothes of [those who eat] kodesh are midras for [those who touch]chattat water. Yose ben Yoezer was a pious man of the priesthood, and his cloak was midras for kodesh. Yochanan ben Gudgeda ate [even chullin] at the purity [required for] kodesh all his days and his cloak was midras for chattat water.